Saxophones Is your #1 sax a tool or relationship?

[BigMartin]

I don't think an artist would agree.

But you edited out the crucial part of the post I was replying to.

 

[Targa]

But you edited out the crucial part of the post I was replying to.

I thought you were saying a paintbrush was the same as a screwdriver in that anyone could use it.
If you weren't then I must have misread it.

 

[jbtsax]

This all puts a new question to me, Am I an artist or a technician? Are we painting a house or a masterpiece? A brush or my sax could be an interface to a creation or a craft. Outlook.

I think most of us start out as technicians learning to count rhythms, tongue notes, and play scales on our instrument with the hope of transcending all those mechanics and becoming an artist someday.

 

[sdt99]

I'd like to say it's just a tool, but I also like the history, the design and, well, yes, the shine

Take a look at some of these and tell me they're just tools ......

Vintage Restored Saxophones

Now if I owned one of these I'd be afraid to take it to jams / gigs and therein lies the conundrum.

 

[altissimo]

"Good design is aesthetic. The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products we use every day affect our person and our well-being. But only well-executed objects can be beautiful." – Dieter Rams

“Form and Function are one.” Frank Lloyd Wright

one definition of art is the conscious use of skill and creative imagination and the people who design musical instruments and tools use skill and creative imagination. None of the tools I've got in my house are ugly nor are engineers and craftspeople devoid of aesthetic sensibilities. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder and some people only see beauty in things that are labelled as such or conversely things that are labelled as art aren't always artistic

 

[Alc.]

I have a number of horns, none of them new. My favorite is the baritone which is sick and I struggle to fix the neck back to the body. She played the smoothest and easiest and I don't feel like playing anything until I can put her back to original. It's like people feel about their pets; it is very personal, and one's relationship with a favorite musical friend cannot be dismissed. Brass, wood, strings, the stretch of whatever to make a drum, these are personal attachments.

 

[Karolis]

Tool or a relationship? Hmmm... Ask Yourself how would you feel if someone came and asked to borrow your instrument for a gig? Would you sleep easy that night or couldn't shut your eyes thinking of someone else's fingers running up and down the horns body....

I'm reluctant to borrow tools .. but the horn : You spend more quality time with it than any relative or loved one...

 

[Alice]

Tool or a relationship? Hmmm... Ask Yourself how would you feel if someone came and asked to borrow your instrument for a gig? Would you sleep easy that night or couldn't shut your eyes thinking of someone else's fingers running up and down the horns body....

I'm reluctant to borrow tools .. but the horn : You spend more quality time with it than any relative or loved one...

I think I can understand why some people form attachments to their possessions and especially when the identity of a person becomes expressed through the possession. Not everybody is the same of course, but this is why many people pay so much money at an auction for something personal which once belonged to a hero or idol of theirs or who treasure everything that is from their loved one.
I'm happy to lend something out to somebody if I know that I can trust them not to damage or lose it.

 

[Karolis]

I'm happy to lend something out to somebody if I know that I can trust them not to damage or lose it.

So you are in an open relationship with your horn then? 🙂

All kidding aside, of course you would lend your instrument to your idol or a colleague you trust. But still in my opinion it's more than just a tool you use. At the end of the day it must become an extension of your body to express your creativity. You and the horn become one. Like a samurai with his sword, or a rider and a horse... first you have to tame it though....

 

[Alice]

So you are in an open relationship with your horn then? 🙂

All kidding aside, of course you would lend your instrument to your idol or a colleague you trust. But still in my opinion it's more than just a tool you use. At the end of the day it must become an extension of your body to express your creativity. You and the horn become one. Like a samurai with his sword, or a rider and a horse... first you have to tame it though....

Yes, but I'm not sure that my horn likes me... not yet. Perhaps it had delusions of grandeur and before becoming welded and melded at the Yamaha factory, shrieked across to the stuff that was still molten "I'm gonna be a star!!" And then was purchased by an old hippie who had never read a note of music in her life. I suppose it's a one sided affair at the moment.

 

[Karolis]

Keep working on the relationship. Eventually he will lose his empty dreams and promises , and will learn to love you for who you are....

 

[Alice]

Keep working on the relationship. Eventually he will lose his empty dreams and promises , and will learn to love you for who you are....

Yeah.... I'm putting in as much practice as I can every day, I'm working hard on my theory and I'm looking for a new teacher at the moment as I haven't had a lesson since last August. I don't have the money for a fleet of fancy horns and I'd rather let my music speak for itself anyway. I'm not an extrovert personality and I don't need status symbols. The things that mean everything to me are the gifts given from people's hearts. I appreciate quality and beauty but would never buy a saxophone based on that if it could only be an ornament. I need to know that I can play it well. I'll invest in a quality mouthpiece as soon as I can afford to.

 

[jimmylh]

I love my sax, but it don't love me.

 

[brianr]

Mine is a relationship. has to be.

love is too strong, but if I dont have a "vibe" going on with a sax..... forget it

 

[Guenne]

Well. I asked Gertrud (my SBA), but she remained silent. Maybe because I asked when I practiced with my Mark VI.

Cheers

 

[brianr]

Well. I asked Gertrud (my SBA), but she remained silent.

I dont know how to tell you this.

But she aint no lady. nothing ladylike about a SBA. he/she is a beast just pretending.

Only one way to check.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHTPLpY8mBI

 

[Ivan]

I trust my tenor, most of the time

I admire my baritone and I want to get to know him better

My alto is my oldest musical friend, but I don't love her

 

[Alice]

I dont know how to tell you this.

But she aint no lady. nothing ladylike about a SBA. he/she is a beast just pretending.

Only one way to check.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHTPLpY8mBI

Oh my god....!

 

[Jeanette]

I trust my tenor, most of the time

I admire my baritone and I want to get to know him better

My alto is my oldest musical friend, but I don't love her

You need a sop to fall in love with. 🙂

Jx

 

[altissimo]

I love my sax, but it don't love me.

there's a blues song in there somewhere